Team USA won their eighth-straight gold medal Sunday with a hard-fought 67-66 win over France.
With a gold medal in Paris, the USA Women’s National Team claimed the longest Olympic gold medal streak in a traditional team sport, passing the USA Basketball Men’s National Team, who won seven straight gold medals from 1936-1968.
It was a back-and-forth affair, but the Americans were able to claim gold thanks to a balanced effort from both the starters and the bench players.
A’ja Wilson led her team with 21 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks, and Kahleah Copper came up huge off the bench with 12 points. She scored 10 in the fourth quarter to help secure the victory.
The fourth quarter was a battle. USA and France traded buckets throughout and neither team led by more than one possession until the final minute. The last sequences defined the game began when Wilson hit a jumper that bounced off the top of the backboard and into the basket to put Team USA up 58-55 with 3:11 left. Gabby Williams, who finished with 19 points, then answered with two free throws.
Copper scored on a driving layup, to put the USA up three with 1:19 left in the game. A minute later, Breanna Stewart blocked a 3-point attempt from France…
